Cutting edge drug developed in Oklahoma

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OKLAHOMA CITY -- Selexys Pharmaceuticals in Oklahoma City received a $25 million investment for a drug that treats Sickle Cell Anemia.

SELG1 was discovered by a researcher at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foudation and they expect to enter Phase 2 of testing quickly.

CEO Dr. Scott Rollins said they are going to test the new drug nation wide, including the state of Oklahoma.

Sheri Stickley, President of the Oklahoma Bioscience Association, said, “It's good for Oklahoma. This is something that attracts attention to our state and to all the great science going on here. Eventually, when people think about Oklahoma, they will think about bioscience just like they think about energy… and agriculture… and aerospace."

Selexys recently formed a $700 million partnership with the multinational pharmaceutical company, Novartis.

Phase 2 testing begins sometime next year and will take roughly two years to complete.